NASCAR Cup Series: Will Christopher Bell make the jump in 2019?

The hottest NASCAR Cup Series prospect currently driving in the Xfinity Series is undoubtedly Christopher Bell. Will he drive in the Cup Series in 2019?

With the lineups of most of the top NASCAR Cup Series teams already set for the 2019 season, the most intriguing story of this year’s silly season pertains to full-time Xfinity Series driver Christopher Bell.

Bell, 23, is in his first full-time Xfinity Series season as the driver of the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He earned this ride after winning the 2017 Truck Series championship as the driver of the #4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota.

Bell currently leads the Xfinity Series championship standings, playoff standings and playoff picture. He leads second place Elliott Sadler of JR Motorsports in the championship standings by just 16 points, but he has four victories while Sadler doesn’t have any. In fact, Sadler hasn’t won an Xfinity Series race since the 2016 season.

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The four victories that Bell has earned so far this season have shot him to the top of the playoff standings and the playoff picture. Aside of Bell, no other full-time Xfinity Series driver has won more than two races so far this season. The only other full-time Xfinity Series driver who has earned two victories so far this season is JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier.

Bell also has 24 playoff points as a result of his four race victories and four stage wins. No other driver has earned more than eight playoff points so far this season. The only other driver who has earned eight playoff points so this season is also Allgaier.

As the clear Xfinity Series championship favorite, Bell is a highly touted Cup Series prospect who has a chance to land his first full-time ride in the series next year. But will he do so?

Here is what Bell had to say about his future, according to NASCAR.com.

"“Going into next season, I am set for another year of Xfinity, and there are no holes in the Cup side, so that’s what makes it difficult. But as far as what I need, honestly I don’t feel like I need another year of Xfinity. I think the best way for me to win at the Cup level is to get there and start trying at it.“Toyota was the one that really ‑‑ they’re the reason why I’m here. I would love to stay with them, and hopefully it works out in the future. The biggest thing is I’ve learned throughout my years, and especially in NASCAR, is you are only as good as the race car that you sit in. Right now I’m at the best organization that I can be at, so I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else, honestly.“Even if the Cup deal doesn’t work out for next year, which it looks like it’s not going to, I’m still going to be sitting in a really fast race car at a level in motorsports where I never really dreamed I’d be at. So I’m going to be thrilled either way. But I definitely ‑‑ like I said, I’m 23 years old. I feel like I’m at my prime, and I don’t want to waste another year if the opportunity comes to make the jump.”"

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Will Christopher Bell be a full-time Xfinity Series driver in the 2019 NASCAR season, or will he be a full-time Cup Series driver for the first time in his NASCAR career?

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